Chapter 48: The Dragon's Wrath

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Azrael's face darkened as he watched the massive building collapse before them, debris raining down like deadly hail. The shadow of destruction loomed overhead, and escape seemed impossible.

"It's too big. We can't outrun this," Azrael muttered, his mind racing through their dwindling options. "We'll have to gamble everything on this."

"Luffy!" Azrael's voice cut through the chaos.

Without hesitation, Luffy's body expanded like a massive balloon and floated protectively above the group of students. His rubbery form stretched wide, ready to absorb the crushing impact.

"Everyone, listen up!" Azrael shouted over the rumbling destruction. "Launch your strongest attacks at the wall section covering our area. Punch a hole through it! Luffy will handle the rest!"

The teenagers didn't hesitate to question the plan. Cards materialized in their hands as they summoned their most powerful techniques. Each attack was aimed with desperate precision. Every blast and strike was crucial to lightening the load on their makeshift shield.

As Azrael watched his classmates unleash their abilities, his thoughts raced with tactical possibilities. "If only Master Lucian had created the Judge Zidaine of the Reward Department. A card based on Zidaine's legendary dragon-slaying tales would be devastatingly effective against Royce's current form."

The bitter irony wasn't lost on him. Although Dread King Bao could match the flesh-and-blood dragon that Royce had become, he couldn't deliver the final blow needed to end this nightmare. The stalemate was becoming increasingly dangerous for everyone in Velkairos.

Even as a fake diamond-level opponent, Royce possessed enough raw power to destroy the entire city if left unchecked. The thought sent chills down Azrael's spine. A diamond-tier combatant could erase a metropolis without breaking a sweat if no one stood in their way.

Despite Dread King Bao's efforts to contain the battle in the sky, the surrounding area was already in ruins. Buildings crumbled, windows shattered for blocks around, and the very air vibrated with destructive energy.

Just as despair began to creep into everyone's hearts, a brilliant white light streaked across the sky. In an instant, half of the collapsing building vanished, reduced to ash and scattered particles.

Azrael and his classmates stared in stunned silence at the figure approaching through the clouds. The massive silhouette held a gleaming white glass dragon in one hand and a radiant gem in the other. Crimson armor gleamed in the sunlight as the powerful being descended toward the battlefield.

Before anyone could fully process what they were seeing, the white dragon burst from its master's grip and coiled around Royce in a spectacular aerial dance of combat.

"Students, are you all unharmed?"

The gentle voice startled Azrael, who spun around to find Dareth, the president of the Velkairos Cardian Master Association, standing beside the group with a concerned expression.

"President Dareth!" Azrael exclaimed with visible relief.

The other students quickly followed suit, some recognizing the distinguished leader and others simply echoing Azrael's respectful greeting. Their voices carried a mixture of awe and gratitude.

Dareth nodded approvingly as he surveyed the group, clearly pleased to see them all intact. His eyes lingered on Azrael, who represented Velkairos's brightest future, with particular satisfaction. Brave, intelligent, and selflessly protective of his peers, Azrael had undoubtedly played an instrumental role in getting everyone down from Novex Financial's top floor alive.

The association hadn't anticipated such a dramatic turn of events. With Lucian overseeing the situation, the students should have been safe from any real danger.

Dareth's gaze shifted skyward to the titanic battle unfolding above them. The massive, armored figure was his own diamond-level gold card: Western Guangmu Heavenly King Virupaksa. As president of the Cardian Master Association of Velkairos, he had the power to command such a legendary summons.

His expression grew serious as he watched the Heavenly King gradually force Royce farther from the city center. Urban combat was simply too destructive; they needed to settle this over open water, where collateral damage would be minimal.

With the immediate threat neutralized, Dareth turned back to the students with a reassuring smile. "I apologize for the terror you've all experienced today. Let's get you to the evacuation shelter immediately."

He considered whether these talented young people could help maintain order during the crisis but ultimately decided against it. Despite their potential, they were too inexperienced for such responsibility. The older generation could handle the situation for a while longer.

"President Dareth," Azrael said urgently, "all the employees at Novex Financial have been transformed into demons under the control of the Crimson Oath Society."

Dareth's face darkened as he absorbed this information. The scope of the conspiracy was even worse than they had feared. Not just Novex Financial but also Koga's entire network and dozens of other suspected organizations had simultaneously revealed their true allegiance by turning into monstrous servants.

Fortunately, Azrael's advance intelligence allowed them to closely monitor several key locations, keeping casualties in Velkairos relatively low. Royce's transformation was the only complete surprise in their countermeasures.

What puzzled Dareth most was the Crimson Oath Society's strategy. This massive exposure seemed almost self-defeating. Who would dare to secretly join their ranks now, except the truly desperate? The logic escaped him entirely.

Pushing aside his confusion, Dareth maintained his warm smile. "The association is fully aware of these developments. Now, come along. Let me escort you to safety."

Satisfied that the authorities had the situation under control, Azrael nodded and began leading his fellow students toward the designated shelter.

Meanwhile, far out at sea, Lucian and Jin faced off in a tense standoff. The Crimson Oath Society operative's expression suddenly shifted to one of cruel amusement.

"You should thank that student, Azrael, for this outcome," Jin said with a sinister grin. "Otherwise—"

The mention of Azrael's name sent a chill through Lucian. His worst suspicions were being confirmed in the most painful way possible.

"There really is a high-level mole within the association," he thought grimly. Only a handful of people knew about Azrael's true importance and capabilities.

Excluding himself and Dareth, who was absolutely loyal, there were very few possibilities. Dareth's loyalty was beyond question; his son had died in a Demon Nest riot caused by the Crimson Oath Society years ago. The middle-aged father had treasured his only child above all else, and the loss had nearly driven him to suicidal revenge. Only his sense of duty to Velkairos held him back. Still, the hatred burned in his heart.

"Could it be Gustav?" The thought made Lucian's stomach churn. Apart from the three of them, only Gustav had been present during Azrael's pivotal moments. Only the three of them knew about the alterations to Azrael's official records.

But who would have monitored Azrael from the beginning? Who would have shown such intense interest in a student who hadn't yet displayed his extraordinary talents?

Once planted, the seeds of suspicion grew rapidly in fertile ground.

Seeing Lucian lost in troubled thoughts, Jin's smile widened with satisfaction, taking on a more playful tone. "What a shame those promising young talents didn't sign contracts with me. Are you disappointed by this outcome?"

"I'll admit to some disappointment," Jin continued conversationally. "You win this round, I suppose."

His expression shifted to one of cold triumph. "But we didn't lose either. After all, we accomplished our primary objective."

Lucian's brow furrowed deeply, forming a pronounced crease of concern and frustration. He wouldn't give Jin the satisfaction of asking questions that would go unanswered anyway.

"Keep talking tough while you can," he replied with a bitter sneer.

Jin laughed at the response, clearly unbothered by the hostility. Without another word, he vanished from the scene. Continuing this confrontation would risk provoking Lucian into a real battle—and that was a risk Jin wasn't willing to take.

What kind of opponent was the most dangerous? The answer was simple: a powerful fighter with nothing left to lose.

As the churning seawater rushed back to fill the massive crater their clash had carved into the ocean, Lucian allowed exhaustion to show on his weathered face. The weight of betrayal and conspiracy pressed down on him like a physical burden.

"Azrael," he whispered into the wind. The name carried all his fears for the young man's future.